5:4

In 5:4, there are two consequences of following the law of Moses:

(a) you are severed from Christ

(b) you have fallen away from grace

In some languages, it is more natural to change the order of the Greek in order to put these two consequences together (as in the Berean Standard Bible). Compare the English Standard Version (which follows the Greek) and the Berean Standard Bible below.

4a
You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; 4b you have fallen away from grace. (English Standard Version)

4a You who are trying to be justified by law have been severed from Christ ; 4b you have fallen away from grace. (Berean Standard Bible)

5:4a

You who are trying to be justified by the law: This clause identifies the people who are severed from Christ. It is those who want to be made right with God by following/obeying the law of Moses.

Some other ways to translate this clause are:

Whoever among you attempts to be straight before God by keeping the law
-or-
Any of you who try to follow the law of Moses in order to be made right with God
-or-
And if you try to please God by obeying the Law (Contemporary English Version)

justified: The word justified is the verb form of the noun “righteous.” This word also occurs in 2:16a. See also justify in the Glossary.

have been severed from Christ: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as have been severed means “cut off” or “completely separated” from Christ. This verb points out the serious consequences of adding circumcision to our faith in Christ as a requirement to be saved/justified.

Some other ways to translate this clause are:

have cut yourselves off from Christ (New Revised Standard Version)
-or-
have separated yourselves from Christ
-or-
your life with Christ is over (New Century Version)

5:4b

you have fallen away from grace: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as have fallen away from means that the Galatians “have left” or “abandoned” God’s grace. It does not mean that God took his grace away from them.

It is another way of saying “you are separated from Christ.” A person who is separated from Christ is separated from the grace of God. This is the fourth time that Paul has warned about the consequences of accepting circumcision.

Some other ways to translate this clause are:

you have turned your back on God’s grace
-or-
you have abandoned/rejected the kindness of God towards you
-or-
you have gone out of God’s grace

grace: The word grace refers to God’s kindness, generosity, or favor in justifying us through faith in Christ.

Some ways to translate grace are:

God’s favor
-or-
God’s kindness
-or-
God’s goodness

See grace, Meaning 2 in the Glossary.

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